PPS USA changed its original name in order to differentiate itself from a different Prestige Payment Systems (affordablepaymentsolution.com) located in Portland, Oregon. The two companies are not related, as Prestige Payment Systems of Portland is a subsidiary of National Payment Systems. Prestige Payment Systems of Portland has a very negative reputation among merchants and has received numerous complaints related to its sales practices and contract terms. Merchants are cautioned to read complaints filed against “Prestige Payment Systems” carefully in order to determine which company is the subject of the complaint. We will refer to PPS USA by its new name throughout this review in order to clarify which provider we are discussing.

Sales & Marketing

Key Points - Sales & Marketing

Employs Independent Resellers

Yes

Advertises Deceptive Rates

No

Discloses All Important Terms

Yes

PPS USA appears to rely on traditional advertising and a team of independent sales agents to market its services. The use of independently contracted resellers commonly results in complaints from merchants, but we are unable to locate any PPS USA reviews to that effect. There is only one complaint related to PPS USA’s marketing strategy, and this complaint describes persistent, unwanted telephone calls from a California area code. PPS USA’s representatives have denied repeatedly that the company uses a call center for outbound telemarketing, so it is possible that the complainant is mistaken about the identity of the company calling him. One positive sign about PPS USA is that it does not utilize any deceptive advertising strategies on its website. We therefore award it an “A” rating in this category for the time being.

Phillip’s Top E-Commerce Picks

Costs & Contract

Key Points - Costs & Contract

Swiped Rate

Variable

Keyed-in Rate

Variable

Early Termination Fee

Variable

PCI Compliance Fee

Variable

Equipment Lease Terms

Variable

PPS USA resells Elavon contracts, and a company representative has stated in the comment section of this review that the company’s standard agreement may be cancelled at any time. Whether PPS USA charges an early termination fee, PCI Compliance fee, or monthly minimum fee is unknown at this time, but there are currently no complaints to be found online about its contract terms. The same company representative has stated that PPS USA resells equipment leases through Ladco Leasing, but that the monthly fees on these leases are capped. Merchants are still encouraged to purchase rather than lease terminals whenever possible.

Elavon offers a wide range of contract terms and has recently done away with its early termination fee in some cases, so it’s possible that PPS USA offers fairly competitive rates and fees for the industry. If you have any specific knowledge of the standard PPS USA contract, please leave that information in the comment section of this review.

Complaints & Service

Key Points - Complaints & Service

Total Online Complaints

<10

Live Customer Support

Yes

Most Common Complaint

N/A

We are currently able to locate a handful of PPS USA complaints, but it is unclear how many of these are directed at the company in this review. Most of the negative reviews accusing the company of being a scam or a ripoff appear to be intended for the Vancouver-based Prestige Payment Systems, which is not affiliated with the company under review in this article. One or two complainants may be referring to PPS USA, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, but the complaints are not specific enough for us to make a determination either way. Even if we assume the worst about these questionable complaints, PPS USA has a low complaint rate for its time in business. Common issues include difficulty cancelling service or resolving billing disputes, but again, these problems may not actually be related to Prestige Payment Systems of Los Angeles. The company’s website lists phone and email contact information, indicating that live support may be available for the company’s clients.

BBB

Key Points - BBB

Product & Service Complaints

1

Billing & Collection Complaints

0

Advertising & Sales Complaints

0

Guarantee & Warranty Complaints

0

Delivery Complaints

0

PPS USA has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2010 and is currently showing an “A+” rating. Only one complaint has been filed in the past three years, and this complaint was actually intended for the Portland-based Prestige Payment Systems. When a PPS USA informed the complainant of this, the complainant accepted the response. By contrast, the Portland-based Prestige Payment Systems has a “A-” with the BBB due to 17 complaints filed within the last three years. Given the fact that Prestige Payment Systems of Los Angeles has zero valid complaints, we agree with the BBB’s rating.

PPS USA Bottom Line

PPS USA rates as a reliable merchant services provider according to all available information. The company appears to attract complaints intended for another processor using the same name, but there are no indications that the Prestige Payment Systems headquartered in Los Angeles engages in expensive contract terms, poor customer service, or deceptive sales tactics. Merchants who are contacted by “Prestige Payment Systems” are advised to double-check which provider they are speaking with.

About Phillip Parker

Hi, I’m Phillip and I’m disgusted by the state of credit card processing in the U.S. and abroad. I believe that the industry has been overrun by people who engage in fraud and deception in order to steal money from hard working business owners. I’ve made it my mission to expose the companies and individuals who engage in predatory marketing, pricing, and contracts, or just provide terrible service. Along with uncovering the bad guys, I’ve also discovered the good guys who do stand out from the status quo. CPO is a website where you will find ratings and reviews of these companies along with advice on how to save money and which service providers consider. Together we can move the industry in a positive direction. If you would like to help support my work, please checkout “Fee Sweep” my eGuide to getting the lowest possible fees when accepting card payments. If you haven’t heard of “interchange” this advice will save you hundreds, even thousands, in processing fees.

Phillip’s Merchant Account Rate and Fee Savings Guide

Copyright & Disclaimer

Any unauthorized copying and reproduction of the content of this page, including all meta data and computer code, is strictly prohibited. While the information in the above article is believed to be accurate as of its publish date, the author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without warranties. Any and all use of trade names and/or marks are for identification purposes only and shall not be construed as a claim of affiliation, or otherwise, with CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. ("CPO") in any form. The sole purpose of the material presented herein is to alert, educate, and inform readers. It is not intended as legal or financial advice.

17 ReviewsLeave Your Review Below

Thank you for clarifying that this company has been calling me for a couple of years and they will not take no for an answer. What happens next when I say no they keep calling me back over and over and hanging up on me. This company with the same name is out of California with a 916 area code this company with the same name is out of california with a 916 area code. Time to call BBB

As I have mentioned over and over this is not us. We do not do leases and never have. We do not sell through call center and never have. We do not rip people off and never have. This all pertains to Prestige Payment Systems in Vancouver, Washington.

I’m sorry Mr Stephen, I was the person that left the message about the “other” Prestige Payment Systems taking me to this site and showing me your companies review and claiming it as their own. I realize you are not the same company and just wanted to let people know that I was able to get them to cancel everything after filing a report . I should have added more info to my post or left it on that other companies review. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

This is nothing but a big rip off. I am paying 3 times more with this company then I ever have. They lied from the first word that came out of their mouths. They said I would be paying a flat rate of 57. a month and gave me $300. credit for changing to them. They charged first time $102. lease which was suppose to be flat $57. The today they charged me another $250.. Do not go with this company. It is any Prestige card company I do not care where they are from. Run away as fast as you can. I am not taking credit card as of today until I can get this mess straighten out and It sure will not be with this company. I will be reporting them to the BBB.

A customer gave me a copy of an agreement that was emailed to them from Prestige Payment Systems. They were told they would be charged 1% for all credit cards and nothing for debit cards. The agreement also shows 1% for check cards and a downgrade surcharge of 2.99%. It also calls for a monthly lease of a Fd-100 or Fd-35 terminal at $67/month for 48 months! Please do not ever sign a lease agreement with anyone for a credit card terminal. You can buy one outright for about $300 or so. So glad I got the opportunity to read this agreement first before it cost a merchant $3200 for a$300 terminal.

Once again this referring to Prestige in Vancouver, Washington. We changed our name and websites to PPS because this keeps happening. We do not do these types of things as our reviews show. We do not cold call, we do not do leases and we do not hide pricing and lie to customers.

A company is doing business as Prestige Payment Systems with a Califrnia address on their website: http://www.affordablepaymentsolution.com/. They are promising the exact same things (1% discount rate, etc.) as these complaints you keep saying belong to a company in Vancouver.

My 76 year old father was just scammed by this other prestige co. They actually took me to this website and showed me how wonderful their ratings were and how bad the other company, that we had just signed up with was. They talked him into switching to them. Needless to say, he is now locked into a 3 year lease with them and a 4 year, 77.00 a month equipment lease . neither of these leases were disclosed on line line at the time I signed on with them ( they knew that I was not the business owner). She walked me through the online form and rates and in no way, shape, or form was there ever a equipment lease or contract with them that I signed. It showed up after all was said and done. At 76 years of age my father was not about to enter into a contract like that.

I can’t seem to get anyone to call me back. I called for some clarification on charges over a month ago, when no one called me back, I called to try to cancel. Still, I can’t get anyone to cancel my account, or call me back. When I called the sales guy back directly, he refuses to tell me how to cancel, just says someone will call me back, which never happens. So they are still taking money out of my account for something that I won’t use, and can’t get them to stop.

I suspect you are referring to Prestige in Vancouver, Washington because we have never got a call from you. If you want to call me now I will see if you are one of our accounts and I will close immediately.

I Recently Transfered My Elavon Account to prestige Payment processing . First Week into There System My Money has been Deposited into Some one Elses Account , They Tell Me to Go to my Bank and get A noted letter Stating this is My Account Number & I Am The Business Owner and fax it to them with my account numbers on the note I am Losing my patience they have told me it can take up to three to five business days before i see my funds or an Answer , I am Already Planning to Cancel there Contract/..

I was with this company for three years and did not have problems. The service was great and the rates were reasonable. When it came time to renew, I was forced to sign another three year commitment which I did not want to do, but because of their previous performance went ahead and signed. I was told that my last rate schedule was no longer available, but the new one would be cheaper than I was paying, and everything looked good on the contract. I was told I would be getting new equipment for $126.00. I was walked through the signing of the contracts buy the account manager. After I had submitted them, within one hour, I had some questions. I tried to contact them, but the would not return my calls and would not pick up the phone. It was two weeks before I could get in touch with them. By that time it was too late. Even though on the contract my rates were lower than previous, I am paying almost 50% more than I was before. They also signed me up for equipment lease with a 4 year agreement. It turns out I am paying $135 a month for equipment that I could buy for $250. In the end, I will be paying over $7000 for $250 worth or equipment. The company refuses to return emails or take phone calls. I am filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau and other agencies.

I am sure you are referring to a company in Vancouver, Washington also called Prestige Payment Systems, not us. We do not have contracts. All our applications are cancellable anytime and we do not renew over phone. They do. We do not lease $250 units for $7000 ever. We use Elavon and Ladco to lease who cap rates. What processor where you with?

Please be fair and let everyone know you signed up with them and not us?

We had the same problem with this company. The Operations Manager actually hung up on me three times! This is very confusing because the Prestige Payment Solutions I had trouble with is in Vancouver, WA.

Provider of the Month

Why Fattmerchant: This provider has one of the most competitive pricing plans of any merchant account provider in the card processing industry. Fattmerchant also offers a month-to-month service agreement, no cancellation fees, no hidden fees, and processing options for virtually any business need. Add to all of this easy-to-use technology and top-rated customer support, and you can’t go wrong with this choice.

Exposing The Truth

Hi, I’m Phillip and I’m disgusted by the state of credit card processing industry. I believe that it has been overrun by people who engage in fraud and deception in order to steal from hard working business owners. I’ve made it my mission to expose the companies and individuals who engage in predatory marketing, pricing, and contracts. You shouldn’t have to worry about paying inflated fees or getting trapped in expensive contracts when you are simply trying to take payments from your customers.

Phillip Parker Founder & Critic

P.S. If you would like to help support my work, please checkout “Fee Sweep” my eGuide to getting the lowest possible fees when accepting card payments. If you haven’t heard of “interchange” this advice will save you hundreds, even thousands, in fees.